Snow
by greenzowie
Summary: Jareth is feeling lonely and snow starts to fall.


It was near the beginning of winter, and the nights were drawing in.   
Evening, just as the moon was rising, cast dark shadows over the bare landscape. It was cold, but the wind was gentle.  
  
Just outside the labyrinth boundary sat Jareth. He was sitting on the hill where he had first brought Sarah, looking over the flowers that Hoggle tended. It was a still night, no sounds could be heard but the occasional goblin could be heard scurrying home.  
  
Jareth sat with his face in his hands, looking up into the night sky towards the moon. He had sat there for many a night, just thinking, just being alone and thinking. He thought of many things, his mind wandering through all the what ifs, but his mind always returned to the one thing that was constant. The labyrinth. It was there, ever-changing, and full of life. It was only at night that quiet and peace seemed to reign, and he came here to try and find some for himself. If the labyrinth could be there, silent in the dark, he should be able to endure the solitude that he seemed to be forever cursed to bear. Each night he came up here to look over his kingdom, trying to capture the silence, and for a few hours he could, but as soon as he left and went back to the castle, chaos began to rule again. It   
was only out here that he could he keep his thoughts under control and feel happiness. The castle was too painful to bear - it reminded him of what he had lost when she left, but out here it was so alien, that he could forget about her and how lonely she had made him feel when she left.  
  
Looking up into the night, he stared at the moon, and looking at the shapes the clouds made in the sky. It was getting colder, and the clouds seemed to be full and heavy. Hating the thought of rain, he thought about going, but he had only just arrived that night and needed the peace only the night out here could give him, so he tarried, hoping that the rain would not come.  
  
He continued staring aimlessly over the labyrinth, and soon he felt   
something on his cheek. He brushed it away, but no sooner than he moved his hand, he noticed that there were droplets of water on his hand - and some of them were half frozen. It was not rain but snow. Looking up he noticed that it was falling fast, covering the labyrinth quickly. He stayed, and was soon shivering, but the sight was too beautiful to miss. The ground was cold enough to let the snow stay, and it soon built up into a thick layer. By this time, Jareth had moved under the cover of the tree on the hill, and thus was sheltered from the snow. Further along the labyrinth wall, several goblins had come out when they noticed snow was falling. They laughed and ran about, making nowballs like children. Jareth chuckled. They were his hildren, his charges. He could not help but care for them, even if they   
did not understand everything around them.  
  
He watched them sliding about - more and more came to join in the fun, until there was a large crowd of them. They were all having fun in the first snow of the year. Jareth kept watching, until he began to shiver. He came out from under the tree and walked down the hill - wanting to savour the snow and walk back to the castle. But before he could reach the labyrinth, one of the goblins noticed him and daringly threw a snowball at him. Jareth turned and faced the goblin - outraged that he should have been attacked in this manner. But something about the quiet that spread through the crowd of goblins struck a chord in him. He knew that they feared him - and he felt this was right, but it also meant that they left him alone and only came near when he demanded their presence. He stared at this goblin, and noticed he was beginning to shake, regretting his hasty throw.  
  
Jareth looked at him, and then the quiet crowd, and then bent down and picked up a handful of snow. Idly glancing up at the sky, he formed it into a ball, and with a laugh, threw it back at the startled goblin. No sooner than he had done this, than the rest of the goblins had come and joined in, throwing snowballs at Jareth. Jareth just laughed and joined in the fun.   
  
After the fight had died down and most of the goblins had scurried home, Jareth made his way back to the castle, all the time thinking. He had felt more alive and happy than he had in quite a while - and the goblins had enjoyed it too. Maybe if he didn't make the goblins fear him - they would be company, even though they were like children. Smiling, he went to bed. This could ease his loneliness - for now. 


End file.
